1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to media devices and, more particularly, to synchronization of media on media devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Synchronization operations have been conventionally performed between portable devices, such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and host computers, to synchronize electronic files or other resources. For example, these files or other resources can pertain to text files, data files, calendar appointments, emails, to-do lists, electronic rolodexes, etc. However, such synchronization schemes tend to utilize filenames and modification dates to determine whether files need to be copied between the devices. These synchronization schemes can be largely automated but nevertheless have to be initiated manually.
In the case of media players, such as MP3 players, files are typically moved between a host computer and a media player through use of a drag and drop operation, like is conventionally done with respect to copying of a data file from a Windows desktop to a floppy disk. Hence, the user of the media player manually initiates the synchronization for individual media items. As a consequence, synchronization tends to be tedious and time consuming for users.
More recently, media players have been able to be synchronized with a host computer when a bus connection over a cable is made. Here, the synchronization can be automatically initiated when the cable is connected between the host computer and the media player. The iPod® offered by Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. has the capability to provide such synchronization over a cable. Although such represents a dramatic improvement over prior approaches, one disadvantage with synchronization over a cable is that the cable connection must be made. A user can often forget to connect the cable. Without the cable connection, the synchronization will not occur. Further, the cable is normally relatively short in length, such as a few feet (e.g., 2-6 feet), so the media player must be brought within a few feet of the host computer for synchronization to occur.
Thus, there is a continuing need for improved techniques to synchronize media content on host computers and/or media players.